Compress
by Gummysaur
Summary: Edgeworth didn't know what he expected when he flew all the way from Europe to visit Phoenix Wright in the hospital. Certainly not this. [slight narumitsu]


" _I'm serious! His life might really be in danger this time. He might already be dead!"_

Those words bounced around the walls of his head as he hurried as fast as appearances allowed towards the hospital room. His shoes clicked off the floor as he turned around halls, fervently looking for the correct number. His head swam with jet lag and left-over jitters from the turbulence. He vehemently stared at the walls, trying to find the code he was looking for. When he finally spotted the correct one, he headed for it with purpose and more than a little fear.

 _What was Larry talking about? What could Wright possibly have done this time…something so dreadful that even the Butz sounded concerned?_

Edgeworth turned the knob on the door and strode inside, looking around. The chilling scent of antiseptic and the walls, normally so stark in their absence of color, were now somewhat sinister, casted in shadow. There was a bed in the corner of the room, and Edgeworth made out the sight of someone shivering on it.

"Phoenix," he started, and immediately backtracked. _Phoenix,_ he hadn't called him by that name in over eighteen years, how come it had slipped out so easily?

Wright hadn't noticed. He'd frozen for a minute and lifted his head, but didn't say anything.

"Wright," Edgeworth corrected himself, and this time he kept his voice steady.

"…Edge…worth?" came a rasping, confused, somewhat hopeful gasp from the lump. He had something white on his head—it looked like a hood of sorts.

"Wright, what on earth did you do to yourself this time?!" Edgeworth asked, the words pained and uncharacteristically emotional. After all, he'd switched timezones and flown to a different country in one night, his body was under distress.

"…There's no way," Phoenix whispered. "I'm hallucinating. You're…in Europe. I'm cold."

The words were plaintive yet blunt. A second passed and Wright pulled the covers around his shoulders resumed shuddering, trying to ignore what he thought was a hallucination.

"I assure you, there is a way. I received a call from Larry and I came on over as fast as I could. What did you _do,_ Wright?"

"It is you? You came all the way here?" Wright made some kind of awed, relieved sigh, completely ignoring his question. "Get over here."

Miles obliged, standing in front of the attorney's bed. He couldn't help but feel like the man was dying, even if the doctors said he was stable.

"You really came." Why did he sound so joyful?

"I haven't been gone for so very long," Edgeworth responded before noticing the way the moonlight glinted off Phoenix's too-bright eyes. Even his glowing, one-brown-one-blue eyes that always shimmered with intelligence, could glaze over, and Miles couldn't help but scoff at the realization that the man was completely overcome with delirious confusion. "That explains it. What is your temperature, Wright?"

Phoenix took a while to respond, as if greatly considering the question. "I don't know. A hundred and something…three maybe…four…?"

Edgeworth took a second to almost have a heart attack before reminding himself that he was in America now, they were using Fahrenheit, and Phoenix did not indeed have a temperature that would've killed him.

"Again, what did you do to yourself this time? And what are you wearing?" Edgeworth wondered aloud, looking the strange hood up and down.

"Iris," Phoenix responded unevenly, as if that explained everything. Miles took a deep breath through his nose.

"Who is Iris, Wright? Can you answer my other questions?" he patiently asked, as if questioning a younger witness.

"Iris is…" the question seemed to disturb him, and he shook his head. "I'm seeing double. She's _her,_ but she's not. Her hair's black but it still smells the same…"

"Wright. I don't understand what you're talking about. Can you please start from the beginning of today?"

Phoenix then went into a strange, fever-edited story about how the Fey girls had begged him to go to a temple/mountain, where he had found a woman that reminded him of _her_ (Wright would clam up when questioned further), and then he had heard a scream.

"The nun, the bikini lady, she screeched, and…I said it was a murder, so I went to call the police, and Larry was there, so I asked him to do it…"

"Why did you ask Larry to call the police? What about you?"

Phoenix went silent again, and he started shivering harder, so much his back was bumping repeatedly against the wall. "Maya's not safe up there, Edgeworth. I can't think, I feel like I'm stuck in a dream, but I know Maya isn't safe, and that's…not…"

"You're confused because you are delirious, Wright. You are not dreaming," Edgeworth commanded, trying to be something solid for the man.

Phoenix swallowed, his eyes unfocused. "…The bridge was on fire, Edgeworth, but Maya isn't safe, and I had to go help her, because the murderer is still there." He gasped, pulling on the little purple sphere on his hood. "The murderer is still there…Maya is still unsafe…I have to help her…"

"What happened, Wright?" Miles asked, attempting to be soothing.

"I ran. I ran over the bridge, and I—" he squeezed his arm, then gave a yelp of pain, and for the first time Edgeworth noticed the bruises crisscrossing Wright's whole body.

"…You just said the bridge was on fire, Wright." Miles was starting to get a bad feeling about this. "Are you meaning to tell me that you tried to run across a flaming bridge?"

"Maya's not safe, Edgeworth. Maya's not…"

"Wright, did you actually _run across a bridge that was on fire?"_

"Yes! Maya wasn't safe! I ran and I fell and I remember someone screamed, and th-then I…"

Edgeworth would've stopped him from saying anymore, but he was completely dumbstruck. Emotion once again surged over him. "My God, you idiot, you went on a bridge that was burning and fell into a ice-cold river 40 feet below, my God, Wright, do you realize that you could've…"

"Maya's..not safe…I'm cold. I'm freezing."

Just standing next to him, Miles could feel the heat rolling off Wright, and he felt a surge of pity. Having a fever that bad, after such an experience, must've felt awful.

"…'m so _cold,"_ Wright panted, then collapsed sideways, right into Edgeworth's chest.

"Ack!" Miles yelped, then tried to compose himself. "W-Wright, please—"

"I'm sorry. I know. I'm cold. Just let me…" Phoenix relaxed, but Miles could still feel him vibrating like some kind of malfunctioning instrument. Almost instantly, Edgeworth started to feel overheated from the sheer warmth Phoenix was giving off, combined with his fluffy coat.

Without thinking, Edgeworth took off the jacket and handed it to Phoenix. He mumbled something that sounded vaguely like "thank you" before wrapping himself in the clothing.

"Edgeworth." The words were lucid, startlingly so, to the point where for a split second Edgeworth wondered if Wright had been faking the fever-ridden persona. "I have to ask you something."

"W-what?"

Phoenix then pulled out a bag that must've been under the covers. "I…Iris didn't do it. I need you to help me out."

"'Help you out?'" Edgeworth echoed in confusion, before Phoenix pulled out a small green stone from his pack.

"This…it's a gift from Maya. It'll help you see the Psyche-Locks—I mean, the secrets in a person's heart."

"Wright, you're not making any sense—"

"Just trust me on it. Keep it in your pocket, and please, _please_ don't lose it."

Edgeworth took the small, cool stone, rubbing his fingers across the smooth surface. It was faintly glowing with an ethereal green light.

"And…and this too."

To Edgeworth's shock and confusion, Phoenix took out his attorney's badge, holding it in his displayed palm. "You need this too."

"I don't understand." Miles shook his head, looking back at the badge and the stone. "You're babbling nonsense again."

"Miles, I'm not _that_ incoherent," Phoenix snapped, but his use of the other man's first name seemed to prove otherwise. "Listen. Listen to me. This badge is something I've worked for, something I've fought to own, and something I've protected. This badge…it's the symbol of my work."

"Yes, Wright, we all know how you love your badge," Edgeworth sighed in exasperation. Phoenix shook his head.

"Listen," he repeated, his voice raspy, "I thought I only trusted myself with this badge…I thought I was the only one I _could_ trust. But, Edgeworth, listen…"

"I am listening."

"I trust _you,"_ Phoenix breathed, curling his fingers around the badge. "I trust you more than…I trust myself, sometimes. I can put my job, my life in your hands and you could return it without a dent."

"W-Wright," Edgeworth stammered. "Perhaps we should call a doctor. You're making even less sense than before. I assure you, I am not to be trusted as you beli—"

"No!" Phoenix denied vehemently. "Edgeworth, I've always trusted you, the the point where I'd dedicate my job to finding you, to the point where I fought tooth and nail to help you, to the point…the point where I still get angry, I still feel hurt when I think about that _stunt_ you pulled a year ago!" Phoenix pressed his face to Edgeworth's chest, and Miles couldn't help but try to pull away.

"Wright, I'm sorry. I had no idea that my…disappearance…would hurt you so. But it's been a year, yes? Isn't it time—"

"No, It'll never be time, Miles. I trusted you, even if I didn't know it, and when you _died_ I couldn't breathe for the first few weeks, I was so confused, and then even after months and months I couldn't even hear your name, Miles, Miles, when you came back I said the worst things because I thought, you asshole, you asshole, you can't just— _come back,_ I was glad, but I—"

"Wright. Phoenix. That's enough. I'm…I apologize. Again, I never knew it would affect you to such an extent."

"But then Maya was kidnapped, and…she's not safe, Maya wasn't safe, but you were there. And every time I almost fell, you caught me, and I realized…I wasn't afraid to fall anymore. I knew you would be behind me, to catch me, and I could keep moving without stopping in fear. One trial…I remember thinking…I trust him. I really, really trust him. You can get the job done. You can take the weight with everything you have, and no matter how hard I throw the punch, you can counter it, and that's why I'm giving you this."

Phoenix pressed the badge to Edgeworth's lapel, slipping the small needle into the cloth so the badge sat, messy and off-center, but it was there.

"…Phoenix."

"Iris is at the detention center. I know you can defend her, Miles. Please…Maya isn't…" the other man slipped away from Edgeworth's hold and back into the bed, where his eyes shut in exhaustion. "Make sure she's okay. Take care of her. D-defend…" and he was out like a light. He fell back lightly onto the pillow, eyelids only barely touching.

"…You're going to be the end of me, Wright," Edgeworth murmured softly, brushing the damp strands of hair from Phoenix's forehead. "You foolish idiot." He shook his head and allowed himself a small smile before turning and heading for the Detention Center.


End file.
